Vegan Mofo: Where to eat vegan: Chocola Tree Cafe - Sedona, Arizona

Over the summer I got to visit Arizona and during our daytrip to Sedona we stopped at Chocola Tree Cafe for lunch. This cafe actually boasts itself as a sanctuary BEFORE a restaurant, but rest assured, the food is delicious. Part garden, part community space, part gallery, part bakery and raw, live, organic food mecca. Open 7 days a week 9am to 9pm, you have no excuse to not visit if you're in the area!

Check out their menu for such exciting and cute dishes as their Enlightenment Waffles - homemade buckwheat waffles served with a chocolate nut filled Buddha & Coconut creme Om.


The almond chili sauce on the raw kale salad was amazing and even won Rachel over to the dark side of kale! This was one of my first experiences with raw foods and while I was skeptical about raw falafel, I think we were all pleasantly surprised.

Served out in the garden, we ate out meal off of a giant tree stump under the shade of a neighboring tree. Before our food came out we wandered around the garden snapping pictures of flowers and finding all the hidden statues.






Soft Tacos


Raw Falafel Platter - served with creamy garlic dill dip and veggie hummus


Raw Viva Burrito - sundried tomato wrap filled with red bell peppers, red onion, cabbage, vegan cheese, pica de gallo and guacamole

Relaxing in the garden and relishing our spread of food, I believe we would all recommend this place for a satisfying and filling but at the same time light and clean-feelings meal.

Roasted Sherry Portobellos

Portobellos are a wonderful thing. They can also be an annoying thing because they seem to have made it on the list of "what vegetarians/vegans eat" along with hummus and oreos. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with any of those. It's just that..one gets tired of eating the same few staples at every party, bbq and restaurant.

Nevertheless, I still love a good roasted shroom. This week I bought the caps with the intention of experimenting a bit. Thanksgiving is right around the corner it seems and this year I was thinking of adding a portobello to my list of things I will slave over and probably be the only one to eat (Little do they know I'm ok with that! All the treats for me!) during the feast.

Pre vegetarian/vegan Lacey was a nut for meat. Especially turkey. I've been contemplating what to cook that will satisfy all my taste cravings. My family has a tradition of making Drunk Turkey. Every year we buy bottles of sherry and baste and baste and baste the poor turkey until the house is full of the sweet smell of syrupy alcohol.

So here it is - Test One of Sherry Shrooms

1/2 cup sherry
2 tbsp each of Tamari, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
the juice of half a lemon

Whisk all the ingredients together.

Place the 3 to 4 cleaned caps in a casserole facing up, gills exposed, and spoon half of the sherry mixture into the caps and pour the rest into the bottom of the dish so both sides of the mushrooms get coated. Marinate for half an hour.

Heat the oven to 400. Roast, covered with a lid or aluminum foil for half an hour. Flip the caps over and roast for another 15 minutes or so, uncovered. Serve hot or let them cool and slice them.

These portobellos turned out well but more work must be done. The sherry was actually a bit overpowering. I will be trying them again soon but they worked wonderfully in the sandwich I had for lunch.


Sherry Portobello Sammy with Lemony Spinach and Basil Pesto

Vegan Mofo: Apple Picking

Saturday this week I joined some friends for a little ol' fashioned apple picking. It was one of the first crisp fall days we've had and the air was full of cinnamon aroma and to our surprise the sun peeked out from the rain-clouds just as we got there.

Living in a city, our grocery stores are often stuffed with a vast array of top-dollar produce, but sometimes you need to get out of the smog and spend a day in the woods...or orchard I suppose.

We drove out to Stribling Orchard in Markham Virginia. For my fellow DC folks it's about an hour or so out of the city - sans traffic - so count on a little longer. At the moment you can pick Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Jonathan, Rome and Stayman apples. Of course we sampled all 5!

Picking your own apples is great because it gets you out on the farm and you don't have to worry about apples that were shipped across the continent or that yucky wax coating that gets put on grocery store apples! There are tons of options for pick-your-own places. Check here for farms near you.

I haven't decided what to make just yet. My go to is usually Love Soup's Apple Crumble. Any suggestions for me?






Also, check out these fellow MoFo-ers recipes!

Sour Cream and Onion Kale Chips at Cupcakes and Kale

Smokey Mushroom Slowcooker Soup at Vegan Yack Attack

Herbivore Cheese Scones at Vegan Chicks Rock -I can't wait to make these! Reminds me of the only reason I loved Red Lobster, the cheese biscuits!

Vegan Candy Apples done seven ways for each dwarf (she makes her food on movie themes!) at Vegan Cine Grub

Velvety Collard Soup at In My Vegan Life

Where to Eat: Flagstaff

During my stay in Flagstaff my friend Rachel was on the hunt for the best coffee in town. She had read about Macy's coffee and as luck would have it I had also read about Macy's delicious vegan offerings. Their full title is Macy's European Coffeehouse, Bakery and Vegetarian Restaurant, but I'm sure we're all fine with just Macy's right?

Tim Macy, a California boy originally, opened Macy's in 1980 and was the first commercial coffee roaster in Flagstaff. It's obviously earned it's name around town because the place was full of what seemed like a mix of locals and foreign tourists when we went in for breakfast.



Unfortunately their menu doesn't seem to be online but from what I remember of the vegan offerings there was the waffles, tofu scramble, an avocado BLT and some baked goods. Reviewers on Happy Cow raved about the BLT but as I went at breakfast I can't offer my personal endorsement. The waffles with Earth Balance and fresh fruit was just what I was looking for though.

Arizona

I recently took a trip to Arizona. My first trip to the southwest as an adult and while I expected beauty and an inspiring landscape I don't think I was prepared for how much the city of Flagstaff and the crisp dry air rising out of the canyons would effect me.

Our trip included a three day yoga festival, a visit to the Indian Condos in Walnut Canyon, a trip to Sedona, a day of exploring the beginnings of the Bright Angel Trail of the Grand Canyon, Gallery Walk in downtown Flagstaff, a Navajo festival, several delicious restaurants and plenty of time playing dominoes and cooking with my wonderful family.



Out of this trip Rachel and I have decided to come back in the fall of 2013 to spend a few days in the Grand Canyon. We plan to walk down Bright Angel Trail and camp at the bottom to spend some time seeing the Ribbon Falls and exploring before we come back up the Kaibab Trail. We have also discussed the possibility of MOVING out to the area! I would be interested in teaching on a reservation and Rachel would be interested in possibly working with the different tribes and their crafts.

Also from this trip I may have found a possible career path! The Flagstaff Yoga Festival was a lot of fun! We took Thai Massage, Bellydancing, Yoga Philosophy and then there was this class called In the House of Ganesha. Taught by Candice Garrett, it was a shorter version of a workshop she does on the pelvic floor combined with the root chakra and Ganesha. This was by far my favorite class and I found the subject really inspirational. Candice and her teacher Leslie Howard are working on the west coast to help men and women connect with their pelvic floor muscles to correct and prevent injuries and pain. Candice is the director and founder of Nine Moons Prenatal Yoga. Together they will be doing a teacher training in February that I hope to attend to learn more about how I could blend yoga and therapy to help women with pelvic inflammation and chronic pain.





The big outdoor store downtown. We checked out sleeping bags and shoes for our furture canyon adventure.


Flagstaff neons




Walnut Canyon where we got to visit the Indian Condos. The cliff dwelling people of the Anasazi tribe are thought to have inhabited this area from around 600 to 1400 AD. There were still black charred smoke marks on the ceilings of some of the condos and fingerprints from the construction of the rooms! No one knows what happened to the people here. There was no evidence of war or famine.


I couldn't have asked for a better travel companion :)


You can stamp your passport at the National Parks! I wish I had brought mine.




We met these three lovely photographers who are a part of The Visual Collective. They were doing impromptu portraits in an alley of the main drag of downtown Flagstaff. They asked to take our picture so we in turn took theirs! If I moved to Flagstaff these are the kinds of people and groups I would want to get in with!



One of the most interesting things about Flagstaff is the Native American influence and local population. During our walk downtown we saw this group carrying their banners and passing out flyers to encourage people to stop the expansion of a ski resort on sacred land. The San Francisco Peaks are sacred to 13 tribes of Native Americans and as the ski resorts and shops expand the Native population is protesting.

This site explains that "The Peaks have particular spiritual and resource significance to the Hopi and Navajo. Both of these nations claim ancestral religious rights to the mountain. In the Hopi worldview, Katsinas (spiritual beings responsible for bringing rain and maintaining social and ceremonial order) live on the mountain, to which select tribe members make periodic pilgrimages for visiting sacred shrines. To the Navajo, the mountain is a physical manifestation of sacred forces and also a home to spiritual beings. Both tribes approach the mountain with the utmost respect, and only for ceremony or collection of medicinal plants. To the Native Americans of the Colorado Plateau, the San Francisco Peaks should not be used for personal enjoyment, economic pursuits or even scientific study, as these land uses betray and contaminate this sacred place."

I would be really interested in learning more about the Native American tribes in Arizona. We did get to go to a Navajo Festival and eat some delicious fry bread and watch the Ribbon Dance ceremony and we bought some crafts. At this festival was also a photography exhibit that really kinda blew my mind. Kenji Kawano, Japanese native, has been photographing the Navajo people since 1974 and has been the Navajo Nation's official photographer since 1980. He had a series on display at the festival of the Navajo Code Talkers and the depth of the portraits and his obvious relationship with these people were really inspiring. Check out his portfolio please!

In all I would say our trip was a huge success. I was in love with the weather - no humidity, no mosquitos, cool in the evening and warm during the day. I got tons of inspiration and nature enthusiasm and it was so nice to spend time with family that I don't often get to see. My aunt and uncle are just as fun and youthful as I remember and my two little cousins were surprisingly mature and grown up for such a young age.

I've got two Arizona food posts coming soon!

Where to Eat Rehoboth Beach: The Cultured Pearl

I recently spent a week with some good friends in Rehoboth Beach and one night we are at this gorgeous little rooftop restaurant. The Cultured Pearl, while mainly a fish and meat serving restaurant was more than satisfying for all the vegetarians and vegans in the group. With plenty of maki roll options and several different salads and plates that could easily be made vegan I was a happy girl, plus did I mention it was gorgeous up there?



This is the Delaware Roll. Fishes are my friends, not my foods, so they get a picture too!






Seaweed salad! So fancy.

Cherry Lemonade

Hello Blog Readers!

I know I have been MIA for a while but the works are demanding a lot of my time these days. Don't fret though, I have lots of fun stuff to share! This post features a recipe AND two of my newly acquired old treasures.

I may have mentioned before that Katie and I order a weekly produce box from Argancia. We get a bounty of fresh, local goodies every Sunday (except this Sunday because they shipped our box to someone else, grrrrr) which means lots of yummy food to be made! Last week we got these local Virginia cherries in the box and, unlike their slightly larger, plumper cousins the Bing, these cherries were a little less sweet than I had hoped.

Never to be daunted, I decided to make them into lemonade! If you've made lemonade from scratch before there really isn't much to it and adding the cherries is just one extra step. Make the lemonade the day before you go to the beach or have a cookout so it has lots of time to chill in the fridge.



Cherry Lemonade

3/4 cups sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
1 full cup cherries
4 cups cold water

1. Put the sugar and a cup of water in a saucepan over low or medium heat. Stir it often. While you're doing this take your freshly washed cherries and pluck the stems out and then slit them in half. No need to pull them apart or pit them.
2. Plop your cherries in the pot with your dissolving sugar and stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and you have a simple syrup.
3. Strain the cherries out but reserve your syrup of course!
4. Combine the cold water, syrup and lemon juice in a pretty little pitcher and mix. Refrigerate until it's time to serve it.



The tea cup in the pictures was part of a house warming present from Pang, isn't it cute?! The small turquoise table cloth is something I bought yesterday at On a Whim in Leesburg. If you haven't been there you really really have to go. They have amazing stuff and I will be posting about some of the other goodies we saw there soon!

Sneak Peeks

I've been a TERRIBLE blogger these days. I apologize to all my blog followers. I promise you I will be regularly updating soon. In the meantime, here are two sneak peeks of what I have been working on lately. Full posts to follow.




Yesterday Pang and I photographed Matt and Liz's wedding - now Mr. and Mrs. Metz! It was an awesome day with beautiful light and of course some of my favorite friends :) Can't wait to edit the rest of these.



Easter weekend several of the girls and I had a Vegan Tea Party. We made this lovely Chocolate Beet Cake and miss Pang was gracious and cute enough to model for me.

Spring Weens

My family is ween crazy. I am as well.

Where to Eat DC: Sticky Fingers

This Sunday a few of my girlfriends and I spent the day in DC. First stop - Sticky Fingers Bakery!. This sweet sweet piece of sweet shop isn't just about goodies - they have sandwiches, soups, and best of all - weekend brunch! French toast, pancakes, breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy - and everything is gloriously vegan. And after you have stuffed yourself with yummy food, don't forget your dessert. Ever heard of a little thing called Cupcake Wars? Sticky Fingers is competing this year!



The only problem with this place - seating is seriously limited. This wouldn't be such a bummer if dummies didn't sit around with empty plates in front of them playing on their iphones or chit chatting. But, that's what happens. They sit, ignoring the "hey if you're done, move on and make room for others" sign. They sit, ignoring me pointedly staring at them with my plate full of chili and grilled bacon and cheese sammy. Ok - mini rant over. But be prepared to eat standing up or take it out.



Despite this place being smack across the street from a Target and a Giant, stepping into Sticky Fingers is like stepping back into a 50's style cafe. The decor and retro kitchen appliances definitely add to the charm of this place.



Sticky Fingers is at 1370 Park Rd NW, Washington DC 20010. Hop the green line and get off at the Columbia Heights metro stop. Open 7 days a week.

Philadelphia

The other weekend a few of my girlfriends and I went to Philadelphia to do some neighborhood scouting and just to get out of Shepherdstown! We decided to ditch the Liberty Bell and other tourist attractions and really just explore different parts of the city and eat tons of great food.

I'm a big dummy and instead of documenting said food so I could write a blog about what Philly has to offer it's vegan patrons, I just stuffed my face instead. I can give you a short - sans photo - rundown of what was good though.
Blackbird Pizzeria had a pretty kick ass cheesesteak, loads of tasty pizza options (though I found the Yukon Pizza to be a bit heavy on the rosemary for my taste) and delicious desserts!
Memphis Taproom was next. We waited a good hour (after a ridiculous cab ride in which the cabbie pulled over and asked US to look up directions on our iphone to direct HIM to our destination) but found it to be well worth it! This place isn't all veggie but they do have some cool stuff like the Old Bay Jackfruit Cakes (which we forgot to order! but then we were too stuffed later to try them) and the Smoked Coconut Club (which we did try, and it was great!).
Sketch was the last place we went. We heard about their awesome burgers and shakes and yes, they were awesome. I was craving some avocado and asked for some on my burger and they gave me a whole half of an avocado!

Aside from eating we also did a ton of walking around and general exploring of shopping areas and possible future hang-outs. Here are a few pictures I did manage to take while I wasnt busy eating. The top two are from an antique store we spent a good half hour in taking pictures. The bottom picture is Pee Pang - my once and hopefully future room-mate. We went the wrong way on the train and had to get off, walk over the pretty turquoise overpass, and then wait for the next train to take us in the right direction. We are so dumb.







This Sunday I'm going to DC with the same bunch of girls to check out possible neighborhoods, restaurants and hang-outs there! Stay tooned - and hopefully I will take a few pictures before I chow down.